On July 19, Honeywell made it official by formally announcing to its employees the company will keep the Metropolis Works plant shut down while upgrades are made.

"Honeywell has provided notice to Metropolis Works employees, consistent with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, that it is preparing for layoffs while the plant's production operations remain shut down and the company continues to evaluate a series of upgrades to ensure the facility is prepared for extreme natural disasters such as strong earthquakes and tornados," said Peter Dalpe, Honeywell spokesman.

According to the news release issued by Honeywell, the layoffs will affect 228 employees, including 125 hourly and 103 salaried personnel. "Honeywell will retain a workforce of about 106 employees. The plant normally employs 334 employees when in full production. Affected employees will be paid through September 21, 2012, and receive benefits through September 30, 2012. Some affected employees may have an opportunity to apply for openings at other Honeywell locations. Honeywell will identify which employees will be affected by this reduction over the next few weeks," said Dalpe.

According to John Paul Smith, USW Local 7-669 spokesman, Honeywell management notified their employees today under the provisions of the WARN Act that the plant will be entering a long-term shutdown to make the improvements required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for emergency preparedness. "The shutdown and fix will effect 228 employees, 103 non-union, and 125 union. The time table for the shutdown is not known at this time, but could last 12 to 15 months," said Smith.

"This is a difficult time for our members, who were just recovering from the lockout, and we will provide any assistance we can during this time," said USW Local 7-669 President, Stephen Lech.

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